Psychology research methods can be relatively simple or very complex, but there are a number of terms and concepts that all psychology students should understand. Check out the following list of the top psychology research method terms you need to know.
Applied research is a type of research that focuses on solving practical problems. Rather than focusing on developing or investigating theoretical questions, applied research are interested in finding solutions to problems that impact daily life…
Basic research is a type of research that involves investigating theoretical issues to add to the scientific knowledge base. While this type of research contributes to our understanding of the human mind and behavior, it does not necessarily help solve immediate practical problems…
A case study is an in-depth study of a single individual or group. In a case study, nearly every aspect of the subject’s life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes for behavior…
Correlational studies are used to look for relationships between variables. There are three possible results of a correlational study: a positive correlation, a negative correlation, and no correlation. The correlation coefficient is a measure of correlation strength and can range from –1.00 to +1.00…
Cross-sectional research is a type of research method often used in developmental psychology, but also utilized in many other areas including social science, education and other branches of science...
A demand characteristic is a term used in psychological research to describe a cue that makes participants aware of what the experimenter expects to find or how participants are expected to behave…
The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured in an experiment…
Descriptive statistics are used to describe different aspects of the data collected in a psychological experiment…
A double-blind study is study in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment…
The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable…
